A Nuneaton eatery is 'chipping in' with FREE food on Christmas Day to ensure no-one spends the day hungry or alone.

The sight of people sleeping rough in Abbey Green on Christmas Day last year left a haunting impression on Claire Miles, so much so that she has decided to open up Castaways in Nuneaton town centre on December 25 this year.

Claire, who runs the restaurant and takeaway opposite the bus station, explained: “We’re opening up the shop Christmas Day to feed and spend time with those who would normally be alone.

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“It is not just for the homeless, it is for the lonely and the elderly, we don’t want anyone to be on their own on Christmas Day.”

She added: “I remember coming down last Christmas Day and I saw some homeless people in Abbey Green, and it made me think that no one should be on their own with no food on Christmas Day.

“My kids are all grown up, the other half is Sikh and they always want to make sure that people are fed, so we are opening 12 until 2pm and it will be somewhere nice and warm for people to come.”

The business woman said that they have been given support from the community: “I am running a raffle so that I can provide some little hampers for them, so they have something to take away with them, and some of the shops in the Abbeygate have been really supportive.”

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Friend and author Dave Ginelley has also provided a unique print created by Charles Bronson to help raise even more money.

“Dave has been great, I am so grateful,” she said.

“I would like to raise as much money as possible as I would like to get some flasks, I am planning on making a hot pot that the people can take away with them on Christmas Day and flasks would be perfect to keep it warm.

“I would also like to try and get enough money to either pay for a taxi or a minibus to pick up some of our older customers, who are going to be alone on Christmas Day, so that they can come down too.”

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It is not the first time that Castaways has helped the community, Claire and her husband have also donated sleeping bags to Doorway, a charity which supports young people who have found themselves without a permanent roof over their heads.

“We are fairly new to this but, at the end of the day, we just want to do something for the community,” Claire concluded.

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the Christmas hampers should pop into the eatery.